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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23838220">36 Questions to Love You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/f8reverskz/pseuds/f8reverskz'>f8reverskz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>36 Questions [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Psychology, Strangers to Lovers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:48:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23838220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/f8reverskz/pseuds/f8reverskz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They say it takes 36 questions to fall in love. Hyunjin and Minho put that theory into a test.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han, Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Hwang Hyunjin &amp; Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin, Lee Felix/Yang Jeongin | I.N</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>36 Questions [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717696</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>36 Questions to Love You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b> From</b>: Bang Chan &lt;<em>chanbang97@snu.edu.kr</em><em>&gt; </em></p><p><b> To</b>: <em> snu.students@snu.edu.kr </em></p><p><b> <em>Subject</em></b> <em>: [INVITATION] Find Love Within 36 Questions. </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> They said it takes 36 questions to develop love between two strangers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Join us in our research to test if this theory holds today amongst Gen Zs.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em><span class="u"> Eligibility</span>:</em>
</p><ul>
<li><em>Born between 1995 - 2001</em></li>
</ul><p><span class="u"> <em> Perks</em> </span> <em>: </em></p><ul>
<li><em>Study credits for Psychology related units</em></li>
<li><em>If you’re not studying any Psychology-related units, you’ll receive a raffle entry for cash prizes instead.</em></li>
<li>It’s time to make some friends (or maybe even something more).</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>When: Starts on the 5th week of this semester and goes on for up to 3 months, Three sessions available (Thursday, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm; Friday, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm; Saturday, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm)</p><p>Where: Gwanak Campus, Building B16, Room 509</p><p>Main Researchers: Bang Chan &amp; Han Jisung</p><p><em> Questions? </em> <em> Please contact </em> <span class="u"><em> chanbang97@snu.edu.kr </em></span></p><p> </p><p>----- <em> Seoul National University, College of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology </em> -----</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t this a bit too… informal?” </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked up from his phone after reading the email that he received 5 minutes ago about the research that his friend is involved in. Jisung has told him about this research before they even announced it publicly and has already agreed to participate after weeks of convincing. </p><p> </p><p><em> “Lots of people will join our study if you did” </em> were one of Jisung’s many reasons why Hyunjin should participate in the research along with <em> “You’ll have more time to see my beautiful face”</em>. None of these reasons really mattered to him until Jisung proposed to treat him mint chocolate ice cream whenever he wishes to eat one… that and the fact that the last reason in Jisung’s list was that <em> “You’re a hot bisexual who has no social or love life”</em>. Maybe there’s some truth to his words but he thought his friend could have worded it more delicately.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we’re reaching out to Gen Zs so Chan felt like we didn’t really have to make it way too formal. The formal language might scare away our aim population before they could even finish reading the first sentence.” </p><p> </p><p>Jisung, seemingly preoccupied with his phone, answered as he munched on an apple.</p><p> </p><p>“Can you tell me a bit about your research? Or are we supposed to go about this blind?” Hyunjin asked, realizing the lack of context present in the email after reading it for the second time.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, Chan said the experience would be more realistic if you go through this without any context but we’ll probably tell you this anyways before we start the research. If you really want to get ahead, you can just search for it. By the way, I’m heading out, Chan said he needed me for something”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s already 6:30 though?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah but Chan said he’s already gotten lots of emails from people who want to participate so we might have to work on this through the weekend too and possibly get people to answer the initial questionnaire on Monday so we can filter some people out. I’ll text you later just to be sure.”</p><p> </p><p>And with that, Jisung left Hyunjin alone in their dorm with his thoughts. He grabbed his laptop and searched for “36 Questions love psychology” and alas, Google just gave him exactly what he needed. A New York Times article, which appeared to be what popularized the research, was written about how two acquaintances answered these 36 questions to fall in love.</p><p> </p><p>The study that this article was based on was about accelerating intimacy by answering three sets of questions, with each set getting increasingly personal. After answering the 36 questions, they have to look at each other’s eyes for four minutes uninterrupted. This activity seems to present that having someone see them eye-to-eye, physically and psychologically, increases their trust with each other and hence, increasing their intimacy.</p><p> </p><p>Jisung mentioned to him that since this research has now been done more than ten years ago, Chan became intrigued if this conclusion still applies to their generation, especially since Gen Z was said to be scared of intimacy and opted for sexual relationships. Of course, hooking up can also be a form of intimacy and there’s nothing wrong with that but he has observed a lack of romantic attachments amongst his peers and thought that it’s interesting to apply this research to their generation.</p><p> </p><p>Although it did intrigue, Hyunjin had some doubts. How were they sure what they felt was love and not just a temporary feeling of intimacy due to vulnerability? Was it really love or did they just crave the feeling of having someone know their true self and thoughts? Did they really love each other because of what they felt or because the research required them to? Millions of questions ran through Hyunjin’s mind, with every question increasing his skepticism about the validity of the study.</p><p> </p><p>His train of thought was shortly cut off when he heard a notification from his phone.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>hannie ♡</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> hyunnie~ chan and i are working overtime </em>
</p><p>
  <em> today so i’m just sleeping over at his apartment. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> don’t forget to lock the door before sleeping! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> gn sweet dreams love you! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> oh also, when and where are we gonna find </em>
</p><p>
  <em> a new roommate? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked over the clock and saw the time. <em> 9:37 pm.</em> He didn’t realize that he’s been researching this for that long already. He decided to leave his uncertainties to rest, even just for tonight, and probably try getting some sleep. He also decided to just leave Jisung’s text about finding a new roommate for tomorrow since he honestly doesn't know what to tell him as well.</p><p> </p><p>It’s been a stressful month for Hyunjin. He received two group assessments with unreachable groupmates, two academic essays, and his dog Kkami was sent to the veterinary because he apparently accidentally ate a tiny piece of a candy wrapper. Thankfully, all of his assessments are now done and his dog is in a much better condition. All he needs now is to rest and get some sleep…</p><p> </p><p>… which would be easy if Hyunjin wasn’t an insomniac.</p><p> </p><p>He twisted and turned, covered his eyes and ears, even tried lying down with his face planted on his pillow but it seemed like the Sandman wouldn’t come and visit him anytime soon. Hyunjin realizes that there’s no point in trying to fall asleep when your brain wouldn’t let you so he did the next best thing which is to scroll through his Twitter timeline until the sun rose. </p><p> </p><p>He saw some posts from his acquaintances; the president of the University Newspaper, Kim Seungmin, was apparently looking for new writers and editors for their team; Lee Felix wrote a cryptic post about joining something to spend more time with a certain someone; Seo Changbin wrote a short poem with a picture of the night sky, and a post from Bang Chan with a picture of Jisung sleeping on a chair while holding a laptop on his lap with the caption “<em>i couldn’t be more grateful having him as a partner</em>”.</p><p> </p><p>His best friend has always been the more dazzling one between the two of them. Jisung has always been so sure of himself; whether it be about his dreams, his skills, his values in life, he has always known himself clearly whereas Hyunjin has been in a constant state of existential crisis. It’s not that he thinks lowly of himself, it’s just that he doesn’t quite have a grasp on his own identity. He always seemed to be unsure about his life and his ideologies seemed to be swayed easily. He’s always been insecure about this part of himself. In a way, Hyunjin has always lived in Jisung’s shadow, which he was comfortable with, but after entering university he realized that he and his friend will have to have their own lives in the future and he can’t keep on living through Jisung’s life. He’s getting more attention on their campus due to his physical attractiveness but he wanted someone to see him beyond that.</p><p> </p><p>He would’ve joined Jisung and Chan’s research even if Jisung didn’t try to convince him. Maybe he was just lying to himself but he knew he wanted to participate in the study to cure his loneliness.</p><p> </p><p>He continued scrolling on his timeline until he came across a video of someone whipping coffee to make it fluffy and placing it on top of milk. It might not be ideal to drink coffee at midnight, especially if you’re trying to sleep, but he thought “<em>if you can’t beat insomnia, then just make Dalgona coffee until your alarm rings</em>”. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin went to the kitchen to look for ingredients but he saw that their milk already expired two days ago. </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Jisung ate his cereal with this milk earlier this morning though,</em>” he thought, but immediately dropped the subject as his friend is known to have a strong stomach. Kind of like a medical miracle.</p><p> </p><p>Eager to make some whipped coffee, Hyunjin grabbed his jacket and went to the nearby convenience store to buy some milk and maybe some snacks too.</p><p> </p><p>It was a breezy night, but it wasn’t as cold as last month. Spring has come and the weather has become warm enough that he can now start shedding some layer of clothes when going out. He can’t wait to see the busy streets of Seoul to be occupied with cherry blossom petals.</p><p> </p><p>He saw the familiar sign of 7-eleven and entered the store quickly. The boy at the cashier counter quickly whipped his head up from what he was doing and greeted him with a small “<em>Welcome</em>” and quickly went back to intently writing down on his notebook.</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin went to the fridges and grabbed a gallon of milk and some bag of chips. He noticed that the cashier is still staring at what he was writing with his eyebrows furrowed. He approached the counter and still, the boy didn’t notice him. He rang the bell on the counter which shocked the boy and made his eyes widen.</p><p> </p><p>“I am so sorry, sir! I didn’t notice you were here already. I am so sorry.” he repeatedly apologized while giving Hyunjin a full 90 degrees bow.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry about it. Although it would be better if you did pay more attention since it’s midnight and you’re here alone.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy just gave him a sheepish smile and took what Hyunjin was going to purchase. As he was scanning Hyunjin’s purchase, he took a peek on what the boy was vehemently writing earlier and saw that the boy was listing down his bills and expenses for the month. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ₩5,000,000 for deposit… ₩500,000 for monthly rent... </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“That would be ₩6,750.”</p><p> </p><p>He tapped his card on the machine which confirmed his purchase. The boy passed him the paper bag containing his milk and snacks, and both gave small bows to each other before he turned to the door.</p><p> </p><p>He grabbed the handle of the door but stopped, the writings on the boy’s notebook still bothering him and can’t seem to get out of his mind.</p><p> </p><p>It’s not uncommon for kids their age to be independent but the way the cashier looked so stressed as he was listing down his expenses concerned Hyunjin a lot.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, do you study at SNU?”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin’s voice surprised the boy, making him flinch a bit. He thought Hyunjin already left since he returned his attention to what he was doing earlier after he handed the customer his paper bag but that obviously wasn’t the case.</p><p> </p><p>Silence took over both of them and only the buzzing of the freezers could be heard in the store. Hyunjin’s cheeks turned a bright red, suddenly regretting opening his mouth.</p><p>“Yeah… why are you asking?”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you happen to read the email about that research about the 36 Questions?”</p><p> </p><p>“The one from the Psych Department?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that one.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah… how does this concern me?”</p><p> </p><p>That’s right, why did Hyunjin mention that? The question did fluster Hyunjin since he didn’t even think he would get this far with this conversation. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh… I just… My friend is one of the researchers and we’re trying to… get more participants.” Was the only thing Hyunjin spit out. He didn’t expect the boy to have such an intimidating aura when he interacted with him earlier.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I don’t really have the time for extra-curricular studies since this isn’t really in my field of studies.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, I’m gonna be honest here, I saw your notebook earlier and I saw you writing down about rent, and my best friend and I live in a dorm with an extra room. I was just gonna ask if you’d like to take the extra room instead. You don’t have to pay for the deposit and monthly rent is just ₩430,000 since it would be a three-way split between us. The apartment is relatively big and really close to our school and to here so it would be very convenient for you. As for the research, they offer cash prizes, I think up to ₩150,000 every week if you’re not studying Psych units so that might help too.”</p><p> </p><p>It was already too late when Hyunjin stopped himself from talking. The boy inside the counter is just staring at him with a poker face and is totally unreadable. Hyunjin started biting the inside of his cheeks from the nervousness that he felt after just saying all of those things.</p><p> </p><p>“First of all, you shouldn’t have read what I was writing since it’s none of your business.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin’s gulp so hard that he was sure Jeongin heard that too.</p><p> </p><p>“Second of all… how much time will each research session take?”</p><p> </p><p>Now that surprised Hyunjin.</p><p> </p><p>“W-well, there are three sessions and each session is about two hours…”</p><p> </p><p>“How will the research even go?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not that much informed but basically you’ll be paired up with someone and you’ll have a date with someone for two hours every week and it will last for around three months, I think.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy seemed to be deep in thought, mumbling inaudibly like he’s having a debate with himself. Hyunjin stood there, eyes going anywhere but the boy he was talking to, trying to relieve all the awkwardness that he was feeling earlier.</p><p> </p><p>“How could I be sure that you’re not some sketchy person? Like, what if you’re just trying to recruit me to a cult or something?”</p><p> </p><p>“Look, we’ve been talking for max 15 minutes and we don’t even know each other’s name but I’m just a normal university student who’s trying to lower my monthly rent and trying to help my best friend with his studies. There’s an empty room in our dorm waiting to be occupied and you happened to be looking for one.”</p><p> </p><p>He ended his little speech with a shrug as if he’s signaling “<em>that’s it</em>”.</p><p> </p><p>“My name is Jeongin. Yang Jeongin.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“If we’re gonna live together, we’re gonna need to know each other’s name.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin’s face lit up, feeling happy that he actually accomplished something. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m Hwang Hyunjin! Nice to meet you. Can I have your number?”</p><p> </p><p>“Aren’t you moving way too fast?”</p><p> </p><p>And with that, Hyunjin knew that he would get along well with Jeongin.</p><p> </p><p>They exchanged numbers and parted for that night. Hyunjin quickly got home and took pictures of the dorm and the room that Jeongin was supposed to move into. He was genuinely excited to find another roommate and feeling like he helped Jisung by doing this all by himself.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>sungie♡</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> sungie don’t worry about the roommate </em>
</p><p>
  <em> anymore, i already found one. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> his name is yang jeongin, he’s a  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> student at snu. also he might join your </em>
</p><p>
  <em> research. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> i know you’re asleep already but </em>
</p><p>
  <em> goodnight sungie! sweet dreams! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> love you! </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> 12:51</em>. It might be late, but maybe Hyunjin will get a goodnight’s sleep after all.</p><p> </p><p>____________________</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome, everyone. Thank you for attending today’s session and we hope you’re having a great day so far.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan’s voice echoed across the packed room. He has never met the guy but according to Jisung, Chan is a very Type A, leader-like person which he could see very clearly.</p><p> </p><p>The weekend has passed and Chan and Jisung have decided to start with their matching process right away. The lecture room was packed. According to his friend, around 300 people signed up for their study despite the vagueness of the email that was sent out. Maybe people did find the study intriguing, maybe they want to earn money, or maybe they just want to increase their social circle through this. </p><p> </p><p>He found Jeongin earlier who was seemingly also looking for him as his smile brightened as soon as their eyes met earlier. They sat beside each other in silence and listened to the presenters intently.</p><p> </p><p>“My name is Bang Chan and that is my partner for this research, Han Jisung. I am in my fourth year of Psychology while Jisung is in his second year so he’s technically more of my apprentice in this research. Today, I’d like to discuss what our research is about, how we’re gonna choose our participants, and how this research is gonna work.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan gave a quick rundown of what the research is about and their aim for this research. He said that they’ll be pairing around 60 couples since this research will only be a small one. They’ll need 10 same-sex couples and 10 cross-sex couples per each session. To be matched properly, they’ll need to answer an initial questionnaire in which questions range from “<em>very</em> <em>low importance</em>” to “<em>very high importance</em>” about their attitude and personality. It will also ask them to tick the names of the people that they know from the list of people who signed up for the study. Jisung said the questionnaire will be emailed that night and it needs to be finished by tomorrow. He also mentioned how other people are matched to not agree or match at all. People need to answer the questionnaire honestly.</p><p> </p><p>After that, they finally mentioned the dating process and the perks of participating in the study which is what most people came for.</p><p> </p><p>“The people who joined this research study for credits will get 0.5 credit points per session. These credit points are set by the Department of Psychology so that’s really not any of our control. As for the prize money, people will receive a raffle ticket every session and one person per group will win ₩150,000 every week. Since the study lasts for three months, you’ll have 12 chances to win. The sessions or “dates” will last for approximately 2 hours and we will be providing you a budget of ₩125,000 and you do have to give us your receipts every date so we can keep track of the money. You can keep the change but we do need some proof that you spent the majority of it. Are there any questions?”</p><p> </p><p>Several hands were raised after Chan finished speaking.</p><p> </p><p>“How are you getting so much budget for this?”</p><p> </p><p>“A broadcasting station actually wanted to test this first before starting this concept as a reality TV show so they are the ones funding this study.”</p><p> </p><p>“What if we want to back out before the study is finished?”</p><p> </p><p>“Then your credit points will not be added and the prize money will be added to your tuition fee. This is mostly on the university’s hands already but I think that’s only fair.”</p><p> </p><p>“What if our partner is not a good person?”</p><p> </p><p>“This is why we need you to answer the questionnaires honestly. We already declined the requests of the people who had records in the university admin and we will put an option for comments in the questionnaire so if you can list down names you recognize to be not so nice then that would be very much appreciated.”</p><p> </p><p>The question and answer portion lasted for a few more minutes and was dismissed after all the answers have been answered.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, can I join you for lunch?”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin heard Jeongin’s voice from beside him, looking at him with his twinkling fox-like eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course! Let me just go tell Jisung since I don’t think he’ll be able to join us anyways.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung saw Hyunjin walking to the front along with Jeongin and gave them a big wave that Hyunjin reciprocated.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! I’m sorry I won’t be able to join you for lunch. Chan and I are going to finalize the questionnaire today.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan gave him a small wave and a sheepish smile like he’s apologetic for taking so much time from his best friend.</p><p> </p><p>“No, that’s alright. I was just gonna tell you that I’m gonna eat lunch with Jeongin today.”</p><p> </p><p>Jeongin appeared from behind Hyunjin, seemingly shy from having three people’s eyes on him. He muttered a small “<em> Hello </em>” and a tight smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, a new friend?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s actually the dorm mate I was talking about last night.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung’s eyes grew wide in realization before turning into small crescents as he smiled widely at Jeongin.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello, Jeongin! I’m sorry I couldn’t have met you earlier but I’m your other dorm mate, Jisung. Nice to meet you.”</p><p> </p><p>Jeongin seemed to be more comfortable after that and slowly revealed himself from behind Hyunjin and greeted Jisung properly.</p><p> </p><p>After their introductions, Jeongin and Hyunjin went to the cafeteria right away. Jeongin said he already bought his lunch from the convenience store that he works at so Hyunjin waited in line by himself while Jeongin found a table for the two of them.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin settled his tray on the table and sat down in front of Jeongin. The two sat in silence and prepared their meal before Hyunjin decided to speak up.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you think about the research?”</p><p> </p><p>“The concept of the study itself is both weird and intriguing. As for the prize money though, that’s like almost my pay for 20 hours of working.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you studying full-time?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I just want to get a diploma and find a more stable job than a casual job at 7-eleven. I’m a first-year Primary Education major, turned 19 years old this year, by the way. You?”</p><p> </p><p>“Second-year Architecture major, turning 20 this year. I don’t know if this is invasive, you can just not answer it but… Why are you living independently?”</p><p> </p><p>No words followed that question and Jeongin looked like he was pondering whether to tell him his reasons or not. The younger boy let out a deep sigh before setting down his chopstick and looking at Hyunjin.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not really anything dramatic. My parents divorced when I was 14 and I kind of went back and forth between their houses during that time. Both of them got their own families and I thought it would just be inconvenient for their families if I still live in their houses so I just decided to be independent. They still give me some money cause they’re legally required to.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin hummed as a sign of acknowledgment. He has a good relationship with his parents so he couldn’t really fully empathize with Jeongin but he respects the level of maturity that the younger possesses.</p><p> </p><p>“You know, we should do one of those ‘21 questions thingy’ to get to know each other.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hyunjin, we’re already joining a research project about answering 36 questions, I think we can just not do that and just do self-introductions?”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay well, my name is Hwang Hyunjin. I am in my second year of Architecture, I have a dog named Kkami, I am an only child, and I am one of your roommates.”</p><p> </p><p>“Anything more interesting than that?”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin was caught off guard with that question. <em> More interesting? </em> The most interesting thing in his life is that he’s friends with Jisung. Nothing about him is interesting.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I guess… I dance sometimes.”</p><p> </p><p>“There we go. What dance genre do you dance?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mainly hip hop but I’m also learning a bit of jazz. I’m not doing it professionally or anything, it’s more of a hobby.”</p><p> </p><p>Jeongin gave him his signature dimpled smile before eating a spoonful of rice.</p><p> </p><p>“Guess it’s my turn. I’m Yang Jeongin. I just told you about my family situation so that’s that, I currently work at 7-eleven at midnight, and I sing sometimes at cafés and restaurants for money.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, that’s cool. Do you play any instruments?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I learned how to play the piano when I was younger.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin nodded, thinking about something to continue their conversation. He thought about something but contemplated whether to say it or not. He looked at Jeongin and the younger boy just stared back at him curiously with his head turned sideways. <em> Fuck it, I’m gonna say it. </em></p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin straightened up and set his spoon down the table before inhaling deeply. Jeongin got intrigued, assuming that Hyunjin was about to say something, and leaned into Hyunjin.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know about your values and beliefs in life but I just want to inform you that I’m bisexual.” His eyes wavering slightly as he slowly pronounced each word.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah, I’m cool with that. I’m… still in my experimentation phase, I guess.” Jeongin answers without missing a bit while looking at Hyunjin’s eyes.</p><p> </p><p>A smile crept up to Hyunjin’s face and relief washed over him completely.</p><p> </p><p>“God, I was so nervous that I might have a homophobic person as a roommate. Thank fuck you’re not.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe you shouldn’t impulsively ask random strangers you meet at ass o’clock at midnight to live with you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fair enough.”</p><p> </p><p>The two talked some more, asking more questions to get to know each other more. They talked about their food preferences, pet peeves, and other things that would make them more comfortable with living with each other. Hyunjin has a feeling that Jeongin will be more involved in his life than just being one of his roommates and he is more than okay with that.</p><p> </p><p>____________________</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ping! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin was preparing to go to bed when he saw a notification of a new email from Bang Chan, assuming that it’s the initial questionnaire that they’re supposed to answer and submit by tomorrow. He had nothing else to do that night, with all his assessments already done and Jisung being away once again, he decided to answer as much as he could as he tried to fall asleep.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Initial Questionnaire</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>(36 Questions Social Psychology Research)</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p><em>This questionnaire is designed to help the questionnaires pair the couples according to their compatibility and incompatibility. There are two parts in this questionnaire: </em><b><em>the personal questions</em></b><em> and </em><b><em>the acquaintance list</em></b><em>. The personal questions are supposed to let the researchers see your views and opinions about certain topics which will range from “very low importance” to “very high importance”. The results for this part will not be revealed to your partner. The acquaintance list, on the other hand, is supposed to inform the researchers who you know from the research group since the people that are supposed to be paired </em><b><em>must be</em></b> <b><em>complete strangers. </em></b><em>Please answer this questionnaire as honestly as possible.</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em> Part One: Personal Questions </em>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <em>1. Do you like mint chocolate? (*)</em>
</p><p>
  <em><b>       a. Yes</b>        b. No</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>2. Do you like BTS? (*)</em>
</p><p>
  <em><b>       a. Yes</b>        b. No</em>
</p><p> </p><p>3. Yes or No: Dogs are superior to cats. (**)</p><p><b>       a. Yes       </b>b. No</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>4. Do you think it’s important for people to have hobbies? (**)</em>
</p><p>
  <em><b>       a. Yes</b>        b. No</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>5. Yes or No: Hook-up culture is stupid and immoral. (***)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>       a. Yes        <strong>b.</strong> <b>No</b></em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>6. Yes or No: Although we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the way how people present themself still reflects their personality and characteristics. (***)</em>
</p><p>
  <em><b>       a. Yes</b>        b. No</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>7. Are you religious? (****)</em>
</p><p>
  <em><b>       a. Yes</b>        b. No</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>8. Do you think art-related courses are not as important as science-related courses? (****)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>       a. Yes        <strong>b.</strong> <b>No</b></em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>9. Do you lean heavily towards any political stance? (*****)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>       a. Yes       <strong> b.</strong> <b>No</b></em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>10. Do you approve of the LGBTQ+ Community? (*****)</em>
</p><p>
  <em><b>       a. Yes</b>        b. No</em>
</p><p> </p><p>After Hyunjin answered the first part of the questionnaire, he came across a long list of names with tick boxes beside it. He began cruising through the list and started ticking the names that he recognized.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Lee Daehwi… Son Hyejoo… Yang Jeongin… </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ping! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>His phone glowed, showing a new message from Jisung. <em> 11:34 pm</em>. Jisung must’ve sent him a good night message again.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>sungie♡</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em> hyunnie~ i’m sorry for not coming </em>
</p><p>
  <em> home again!!! i’ll treat you with that </em>
</p><p>
  <em> mint choco ice cream tomorrow if you’re </em>
</p><p>
  <em> free.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> the research is going to start sometime next </em>
</p><p>
  <em> week, btw. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> gn sweet dreams love you!!! go to sleep now. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin doesn’t know what washed over him but he suddenly felt sleepy after reading that text. Maybe it was the certainty that his friend is safe and is doing well or the calmness and enjoyment that Jeongin provided him earlier but for once after a very long time, he felt calm. He submitted the questionnaire and decided to lie down on his bed with his eyes closed. Soon after, he felt his breathing become more stable and his mind started shutting down. The research is about to start soon but Hyunjin decided not to worry about that, at least for now.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story is inspired by a psychological study by Aron et. al. (1997) about increasing intimacy with a stranger by answering and asking 36 questions.</p><p>Aron, A., Melinat, E., Aron, E., Vallone, R., &amp; Bator, R. (1997). The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings. <i>Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23</i>(4), 363-377. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297234003</p><p>____________</p><p>follow me on my <a href="https://twitter.com/f8reverskz">twitter</a> and ask me anything on my <a href="https://curiouscat.me/f8reverskz">curiouscat</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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